Why do gymnasts use chalk? Inside the 'intimate' and complex relationship at Olympics

PARIS — When the gymnastics world championships went to Tokyo in 2011, German gymnast Fabian Hambuechen and his father, Wolfgang, saw it as a rare opportunity to stock up. They cut out the interior netting of a spare suitcase, ripped out the pockets and dividers, and stuffed the bag with about 55 pounds of a treasured, powdery-white substance: Japanese gymnastics chalk.

To the uninitiated, the idea of hauling 55 pounds of chalk from Japan to Germany might sound bizarre. Hambuechen, the now-retired three-time Olympic medalist, understands that. But in the world of elite gymnastics, he explains, every routine on every apparatus is dependent upon grip. And every athlete's grip is dependent, in part or in whole, upon chalk. So the specific feel of it, the consistency of it, even the chemistry of it − it all matters.

"Without chalk," Hambuechen says, "nothing would be possible."

On the competition floor at the 2024 Paris Olympics , the white powder is everywhere − piled in bowls next to the balance beam and pommel horse, caked around the uneven bars and still rings, imprinted in footsteps on the floor. In total, French gymnastics company GymNova provided nearly 1,500 pounds of chalk for use at competition and training venues during these Games, according to the company's managing director, Rémi Karakotchian.

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That figure doesn't include the chalk that many gymnasts brought to the Olympics separately, specific types they've practiced with at home and are accustomed to. During competition, they carry their preferred chalk with them from one apparatus to the next, stashed in plastic containers or large drawstring bags.

"When you go to different continents, they tend to use different chalk," explained Australian gymnast Jesse Moore, who carried a green-and-gold chalk bag with him to the parallel bars Wednesday night.

"It's just personal preference, really. It probably doesn't really make that big of a difference."

And yet, in a sport where tenths of a point can decide Olympic medals, Moore also added that "every little thing counts."

In gymnastics, like rock climbing or weightlifting, chalk is primarily used to absorb sweat and limit the possibility of a slip. It can come in the form or a hardened block or loose powder, with textures ranging from silky to grainy, almost like sand.

A gymnast's choice of chalk isn't so much a matter of superstition as it is about fit with the primary tool of their trade. It's what they largely rely on to keep them safe, particularly when swinging around bars, and the substance they unwittingly carry with them even after they leave the gym − as a light dust on their arms, or speckled in their hair.

"It’s a very intimate relationship that we have with chalk," said Elsa Garcia, who represented Mexico at the 2012 London Games. "It's part of your everyday life."

Perhaps that's why some gymnasts are so picky about it.

Hambuechen, for example, became known during his career for the tupperware of chalk he often carried with him on the competition floor. Though he grew up in Germany, he said he went over to train in Japan when he was 17 and found that the chalk they used in gyms there gave him a noticeably better grip, particularly on parallel bars. So he took a little bit home with him, and never looked back.

Over a Hall of Fame career in which he won 12 world and Olympic medals, Hambuechen said he competed almost exclusively with Japanese chalk − all of it collected and stashed from his visits to Japan, or encounters with friendly Japanese gymnasts.

"Whenever we met, they just filled up my box with chalk − like, 'Fabi! Here’s some more!'" said Hambuechen, who retired after winning gold on high bar at the 2016 Olympics and is working in Paris as a television analyst for Eurosport.

"If you ever had these different kinds of chalk in your hands, you'd really feel it. The Japanese chalk is more like flour, like you use for baking."

Hambuechen first used the Japanese chalk on every apparatus. Then he started limiting his usage, to conserve it.

At one point, he said his father, who was also his coach, actually analyzed the molecular structure of Japanese chalk and believed the particles were more rounded than crystalline, like European chalks. Another time, they explored sourcing Japanese-style chalk though a German company that had found an Italian exporter of the substance. But it just wasn't quite the same.

"Japanese chalks are finer," Kazuma Kaya, a member of Japan's gold-medal winning men's team, told USA TODAY Sports through a translator. "So Japanese athletes prefer to have it rather than using the chalk here."

Other gymnasts have their own preferences, of course − both in the type of chalk they use, and how they use it.

Before floor exercise, some gymnasts stomp their feet in chalk or dust it on their legs, in hopes that it will give them a better grip on twisting elements in tumbling passes. On bars, chalk is commonly mixed with other sticky substances such as honey or maple syrup. And on balance beam, gymnasts sometimes use it to mark the specific point on the beam where they want to perform an element; Simone Biles famously did this with a dollar sign.

"It's essential for everything," Dutch gymnast Lieke Wevers said. "And it's impacting everything."

Wevers smiled when asked about her preferred brand of chalk. She said she honestly doesn't remember the name but that she and her teammates brought it with them from the Netherlands.

Garcia, who is now an analyst for Claro Sports, said she actually used to prefer using American chalk, which she would purchase online and take with her to competitions − though that did lead to some interesting interactions at airports.

"Sometimes, passing security, we would get weird eyes from the policeman – like, 'Hey that’s some powdery chalk you’ve got there, it's maybe cocaine?' " Garcia said with a laugh. "And we’re like, ‘No, here’s our grips, you see my leotard, I’m a gymnast, I’m not trafficking anything at all.'"

Carlos Yulo, who placed 12th in men's all-around final, said he got his current supply of chalk from the South Korean team at the most recent Asian Championships in Uzbekistan. But it's the same chalk used by Team Japan. And he agreed with Hambuechen: There's just something different about it. The texture of it makes it easier to apply than other forms of chalk, he said, and less likely to fade during a routine.

So with Japan winning gold medals in both the men's team and all-around competitions in Paris, one enterprising journalist needed to know: If other gymnasts get Japanese chalk directly from Japanese athletes, where do the Japanese athletes themselves get it? Is it made in Japan? Is the country's chalk actually its secret sauce?

Hours after his team emphatically won gold Saturday night, Japan men's gymnastics head coach Hisashi Mizutori offered to answer these questions through a translator. He said yes, he does believe the Japanese-style chalk is better than the grainier style of chalk found in Europe and other parts of the world. He thinks it gives Japanese gymnasts a better grip. And while he said he honestly doesn't know where the chalk they use is manufactured, he does know how they get it, breaking out into a wide smile as he spoke.

"Amazon," he said.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do gymnasts use chalk? Inside the 'intimate' and complex relationship at Olympics